[ BUSINESS BRIEFS ]

Staff writer, with agencies

Laplanche urges cooperation

Total EU-Taiwan trade will likely fall for this year as a whole and that should make the two sides work even harder to facilitate trade and remove barriers, European Economic and Trade Office head Frederic Laplanche said yesterday.

Laplanche made the remark during his opening speech at a one-day EU-Taiwan trade expo in Taipei, which aimed to generate more than US$80 million in new business, he said.

In the first nine months of the year, Taiwan’s exports to the EU fell by 10 percent year-on-year, according to the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會), which organized the event.

The EU is currently Taiwan’s fourth-largest trading partner, after China, Japan and the US, it said.

DGBAS to study milk vouchers

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics yesterday said it would study the feasibility of distributing “milk vouchers” to economically vulnerable families with babies, after a lawmaker proposed the measure as a way to help ease poor households’ financial burdens.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said at a legislative question-and-answer session that the government could consider launching a voucher scheme for milk by providing cash subsidies to economically vulnerable families with a baby younger than two years old.

She estimated the government might have to spend NT$500 million (US$17.04 million) implementing such a scheme.

Wistron says not downsizing

Wistron Corp (緯創), the world’s third-biggest contract notebook maker, yesterday said it had no plans to lay off any of its employees this year, amid concerns that large-scale workforce reductions will take place in the industry.

Wistron’s announcement came after its larger rival Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶) reported to Taipei’s Department of Labor on Friday last week that it would let 158 workers go next month as the result of lower-than-expected market demand.

Meanwhile, HannsTouch Solution Inc (和鑫), which specializes in research, development, production and sale of touch-panel products, said the same day it would lay off between 100 and 200 workers, as it has replaced product lines with automated machine tools.

TransAsia expands fleet

TransAsia Airways Corp (復興航空) said on Tuesday it would take delivery of its first A330-300 plane on Nov. 26 as part of efforts to expand its fleet.

The carrier said it would take delivery of another 300-seat A330-300 aircraft in January next year, adding that the two mid-range, wide-body planes are likely to serve the Singapore or Osaka routes.

The company will also take delivery of 18 A321-200 and A321-neo planes from next year, with 12 ATR72-600 aircraft to follow.

Takaoka opens new plant

Takaoka Electric Manufacturing Co on Tuesday held an opening ceremony for its Taiwanese subsidiary and announced its newly rented local plant will begin operations next month.

The Japanese company rented a semiconductor packaging and testing facility in Greater Taichung in March.

The company’s local subsidiary has a capital of NT$19 million.

It currently cooperates with Nanya Printed Circuit Board Corp (南亞電路板) in packaging and testing services.

NT drops against greenback

The New Taiwan dollar fell against the US dollar yesterday, declining NT$0.014 to close at NT$29.342.